Railroad-car-truck structure



Sept' 27 1927' w. c. HEDGcocK RAILROAD CAR TRUCK STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l *Y www@ Se t. 27 192 p l y 7 w.'c. HEDGcocK RAILROAD CAR TRUCK STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 19. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

- .UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

WILLIAM C. HEDGCOCK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL FOUNQRIES, OF CHICAGO, ILLHWOIS, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

. RAILROAD-CAR-TBUCK' STRUCTURE.

Application led February 19, 1927. Serial No. 169,461.

My invention relates to improvements in` railroad car truck construction, and more especially to means for maintaining the car coupler at substantially a constant elevation above the level of the tracks, my improvement embracing a .combination of a truck side frame, a truck bolster, supporting springs for the t-ruck'bolster and car body, and a shim adapted to be interposed to compensate for any wear which tends to lower the coupler.

Truck side frames now in use are composed of anI upper compression member, a lower tension member connected to form an integral structure by two vertical columns, and which form by their arrangement a rectangular opening to serve as a housing for the spring assembly and the end of the truck bolster. The upper surface of the lower tension member constitutes a seat for the springs, the springs serving 'as a resilient supporting column for the truck bolster upon which the car body is carried.

In practice it has been found that due to wear of the car wheels and the car journals,

the side frameA is lowered, and consequently the bolster supported on the upper end of the spring column which is of comparatively fixed height for any given load, is correspondingly lowered causing a variation in the elevation of the coupler relative to the level of the tracks. It is necessary to maintain the couplers of all railroad cars at a substantially constant elevation in order that the couplers of two cars may be properly engaged when coupled. To compensate for such wear, one method is to interpose shims between the spring seats on the side frame and the spring plates which support the springs in order to produce effective bearing spring seats at the same level as that of the original spring seats prior to any wear.

Interposing shims between the spring seats on the side frames and the springs, as described above, is a common procedure and generally does not require any special provision for doing so. However, with the truck arrangement shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,457,345, granted to G. S. Chiles, dated June 5, 1923, the shape and arrangement of truck parts are such as to require a special shimmmg arrangement.

With this truck construction, the side frames are. rovided with spring seats on different leve s, the springs being on correspondingly different elevations, and the truck bolster has its end stepped to coincide with the different spring levels'on which it is supported. The distance between the upper compression member and the spring seat of the side frame is limited b clearance conditions and cannot be exceededi The height of the springs is fixed by standards of capacity and' interehangeability required and the depth of the end of the bolster must be suflicient for strength and to provide adequate wearing surface between its sides and the 'column members of the side frame. The result is that the space in the opening in the side frame isnearly all occu ied by the bolster end and spring assembl) thus providing limited clearance for the raising 'of the bolster sufiiciently to insert springs and shims. Due to the stepped shape of the side frame spring seat and the bolster end, the clearance for inserting the springs and shims onto the elevated seats is particularly limited and requires a special provision. In addition to inserting a shim, it is necessary to provide as well, means for holding the shim in place, and any means projecting up from the seat a height sufiicient to serve as a holding means for both the shim and the spring plate will limit the space provided for the coil springs an amount which will prohibit the installation of the latter. An alternative is to increase the height of the opening forming the spring housing or to decrease the height of the coil springs, both of which are undesirable, however, inasmuch as the first would result in a weaker frame structure or bolster end and the second would necestate a change from the desired spring characteristics.

It can be seen, therefore, that any attempt to elevate the bolster to compensate for the lowering of the spring seats due to wear would involve difficulties when it is attempted to 'further' confine the elements comprising the spring assemblies by the insertion of -shims between these parts. llt is common to provide upstanding dowels on the spring seats which cooperate with-the spring plates in order to maintain the (ill to accommodate a load commensurate with the capacity of the car. The problem thus arises as to how the shim may be inserted and maintained in fixed relation to the parts and yet dispense with the necessity of increasing the height of the dowel pin.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved railroad truck construction which will maintain the coupler at substantially a constant elevation above the level of the tracks,

Another object of myinvention is to provide an improved truck structure embodyt ing an arrangement in which a shim is l adapted to be interposed between the spring plate and the spring seat in truck spring assemblies now in use, and which can be inserted into limited space without the necessity of compressing the coils4 during the process of installation. y

It is the further object of my device to provide a shim, the under side of which is adapted to rest on and be held by the spring seat, cooperating with theA upstanding dowel in a mannersimilar to that of the spring plate, 'and further` provided with an upper surface which will receive the spring plate, together with means for maintaining the spring plate-in fixed relation.

It is the further object of my invention to provide shims for aside truck spring assembly which has stepped spring seats,

-one of which has a spring plank mounted thereon. In this instance, a shim is provided with a lower surface adapted to rest on the-spring plank and to receive on its upper surface a spring plate, all of the parts being maintaine against displacement.

Other objects of my inventionywill be readily understood `from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, 1n which-M Y p Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a side frame for railroad trucks showing an assembly comprising spring seats, a spring plank and spring plates, the latter forming a bearing seat for the coiled springs;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the shims interposed `betmsfeeirthe spring plates and the spring seats;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2 taken on line 3x-3, showing a spring seat, a spring plank and a spring late;

Figure 4 is a view similar to igure 3 with a shim interposed;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the assembly showing the general arrangement of spring coils, a spring plate and a shim;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in cross-section taken on line 6X-6x of Figure 2, disclosing a means for maintaining the spring plate and the spring seat against displacement.

Referrin to Figure -1 of the drawings, which disc oses a spring assembly mounted on the side frame of a railroad car truck,

my invention embodies a side frame, suchv vas designated at 10, having spring seats such as shown at 11, 12 and 13, two of which are shown as elevated, the centrally located 'spring seat 12 being adapted to receive a spring plank 14. v Spring plank 14 is rovided with perforations having depen 'ng edges, as shown at 16, which are adapted to fit in recesses 17` formed in the spring seat 12 and to embrace the dowel 18 projecting up from the center of the recesses. Mounted on top ofthe spring plank, as shown, Ais a spring plate 19 provided with upstanding relation by engagement with the dowel 25 and the downwardl extending tongues 31 which engage the sides of the spring seat after the plate has been laced in position. Around the opening 26 1n the plate is the upstanding circular flange 27 which ange forms means for engaging the coil springs in the same manner as described relative to bosse's 20 on plate 19.

When it is desired to take up wear, shims are interposed in the manner shown in F igure 2, contemplating a shim structure such as shown at 28 to be applied to the elevated steps of the spring seat, and as shown at 29, for the intermediate spring seat. The shim 28 is provided with a central perforation 30 which is adapted to fit over the dowell pins V25 in the same manner asV that of the spring plates, the upper surface, however, being free from any projections so a-s to avoid any decrease in istance between the to of the shims and the lower surface of the bo er. The spring plates are adapted to be positioned on top of the shims, as shown in ligure 2, to form an elevated bearing seat igor the spring coils, and otherwise in the same manner as that before the shims are inserted. The shims for the lower bearing plate are positioned on top of the spring plank, as shown in Figure r, the end walls being provided with depressions 33 adapted to engage the inwardly'projectin-g shoulders on the upturned ends of the spring plank and are in this manner maintained in iixed relation relative thereto. The central spring plate is i'urtherprovided with erforations 32 corresponding to those previously mentioned in the spring plank, shownat 21 in Figure 3, which form means for receiving the conical depressions 22 of the spring plate and thereby serve as means for retaining the spring plate in iixed relation, the relations ip of the spring coils to the plate being exactly the same whether the shim is em'- ployed or not.

In operation, when it is desired to elevate the bolster of the. car to compensate for wear, the bolster is jacked up 'to a 'position to engage as a limit the top compression member of the truck side frame, and thereby ador-d maximum clearance betweenthe parts and spring assembly. The -central coiled s rings and their spring-plate are removed ut the elevated springs and their plates are not removed. The elevated coiled springs are then held with` the top o the coils in the desired location againstl the' bolster and the spring plates held against the bottom of the coils, thus providing space under the spring plates to slide inthe shims and position the latter with their holes over the dowels on the stepped spring seats. Then seating the elevated springs and spring plates in this position, the tongues 31 on the ends of the plates engage the edges of the shims in a manner to hold them against lateral displacement, longitudinal displacement being limited by end engagement with the vertical column of the side frame on one side and .the center coils' onthe other side. The center shim and spring plate are then. positioned on the spring plank and the center springs then' put in place between the spring plate and bolster, there being suliicient clear- `ance for this operation.

It can 'be seen that my invention affords means'for overcoming the difficulties heretofore'encountered with this truck arrangel ment, and that I have provided a means for maintaining the couplers at a constant ele- -vation above the level of vthe tracks. The

above description 'and the disclosure in the l I claim: y 1.' In` a car truck, the combination of a.

side frame having a spring seat, a spring plate and a shim, said spring seat having engaging means thereon and being adapted to receive selectively said plate or said plate and shim in order to compensate tor wear which would tend to lower the position of the coupler of the car and thus maintain the coupler at la predetermined elevation above the level of the tracks, said plate or plate and shim being held by said engaging means.

2. In a car truck, the combination of a side frame having a spring seat and a spring plate, a' shim adapted to be interposed between said spring seat and spring plate to compensate for wear so as to maintain the coupler of the car at a predetermined elevation above the level of the tracks, said shim structed to receive and hold a spring plate;

or a shim selectively, a shim mountedon said seat and presenting an upper surface adapted to receive-said plate and a spring plate mounted on said shim.

5. In a device of the character-described, the combination of a truck side frame having a spring seat, saidseat being adapted to receive a spring plate or a shim selectively and having means for preventing displacement of said spring plate or shim, a shim mounted on said seat and held thereon by said means for preventing displacement, a spring plate mounted on said shim, and means for holding said s ring plate.

6. In a device of the c aracter described, the combination of a truck lside frame having stepped Spring seats, a spring plank mounted on one spring seat and having upturned flanges to conform to the sides of adjacent steps, a shim on said plank held by Vsaid upturned flanges, a spring plate on said shim likewise engaging and held by Said upturned flanges.

7. In a.v device of the character described,

the combination of a truck side frame having a spring seat, a shim and a spring plate, said plate having an undersurface which renders it capable of being positioned and maintained on either the spring seat or said shim, said shim having an )undersurface which renders it capable of being positioned and maintained on the spring seat, said spring seat having an upper surface and cooperating means adapted to receive and maintain thereon either the shim or the spring plate.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination 0f a truck side frame having a s ring,l seat, a spring plate Vand a shim there or, said spring seat having locking means on its `,upper surface, said spring plate having a lower surface adapted t0 rest on said spring seat and to engage said locking means, said shim havmg an upper 10 Signed at`Chieago,Iillil-1ois, this 16th day l5 of February, 1927 WILLIAM'C. HEDGCOCK. l 

